This Came Up In Discussion This Past Week -- Five Foods To Boost Your Immune System -- Orange Juice, Beef, Sunflower Seeds, "Strong" Beer, And More Beef -- August 22, 2020

Pet peeve: a gazillion public service announcements (PSAs) and signage everywhere telling us how to wash our hands (are you kidding?) and yet not one PSA reminding Americans the importance of beef. Four ounces/day is all you need. Hey, vegans: "we've" evolved. Fruits and nuts are so Australopithecus afarensis.

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The Five Foods

Bottom line: orange juice, beef, sunflower seeds, beer, and more beef. I cannot make this stuff up. Is that so hard to remember? Beef, "real" beer, seeds, and orange juice. That's it. Four essential food groups.

A google search asking that question: a top hit -- The Houston Chronicle, March 3, 2020. 

While everyone is talking about the coronavirus COVID-19, we need to remember that influenza is a more immediate threat here in the United States. Here are five foods to be sure to incorporate in your diet so that you have the strongest immune system this flu season. 

1. Vitamin C: This probably comes to no surprise to you, but it is important to get enough of this immune-boosting vitamin. By ingesting up to 1 gram daily of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, you may be able to shorten the length of a cold or flu. Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant and essential for collagen and other protein synthesis within the body. Most fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C, but your best sources are citrus fruits, asparagus, cantaloupe, strawberries and kale. [Yes, I will have another serving of kale. LOL. How about just having orange juice, and lots of it, in the refrigerator. Sometimes these "experts" make life too difficult.]

2. Zinc: ... The best food sources of zinc are red meats (particularly organ meats) and seafood. Whole grains and leafy root vegetables are good plant sources of zinc. You can also take a zinc supplement; however, it is important to follow the guidelines on the bottle, as there are side effects of taking too much zinc. [Name one.]

3. Vitamin E: It’s main function in immune health is as an antioxidant that rids your body of those damaging free radicals bouncing around your system. Think of free radicals as bulls in a china shop destroying things left and right. Antioxidants are like the repairmen that capture the bull, and then help to repair whatever the free radicals destroyed. Vitamin E is found primarily in plant foods, but best sources are in oils from plant foods such as canola and safflower oil. Nuts and peanut butter are also good sources of vitamin E. [They're making it too difficult: one ounce of oil-roasted sunflower seeds provides a whopping 76% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin E.]

4. Probiotics: ... What can really help your gut bacteria flourish is ensuring you are eating enough prebiotics, or foods that help feed probiotics, such as fruits and vegetables. Again, they are making it too difficult: beer is just as good for your gut as probiotics.]

5. Protein: I saved the best for last and cannot preach about protein enough. It is so important on so many levels for us to eat enough protein throughout the day. Most of the protein found in our body is in our skeletal muscle or about 40%; over 25% is found in our organs; and the rest in our skin and blood. In fact, we have an entire group of proteins in our blood called immunoproteins, also known as immunoglobulins or antibodies. That’s right, our antibodies, the ones that fight off disease, bacteria and viruses, are made of protein. So, if you aren’t getting enough through your diet, your body can’t make enough antibodies to help you fight whatever germs you pick up throughout the day. The main protein food sources are meats and seafood, so chicken, poultry, fish and shellfish. However, you can also get a good amount of protein from eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese. Keep yourself protected this flu season by eating for a healthy immune system.

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Beer Is Just As Good For Your Gut As Probiotics

Link here. Best beers? Belgian.

Note: we're talking about "strong beer." Not the "lite" stuff that is marketed as beer in the United States.

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The History Page

I'm currently reading a book on the history of the British Isles during the "age of Vikings" and was reminded of the importance of beer.